Outdoor light goes on/off when it SHOULDN'T

16 years ago

Had the house rewired due to Hurricane Katrina. The electrician replaced an outdoor light under a carport which is a permanent part of the house structure shared by a common roof. The light is a photocell dusk/dawn type light. The light will say on for about 3 minutes the go off and immediately come back on. It will keep doing this. He tried another similar type light and it did the same thing. Could this be a symptom of a bigger electrical proglem?

P.S. Prior to Hurricane Katrian and the house rewiring job, the previous light did not have this problem it worked fine.

Featured Answer

hendricus

16 years ago

The trick is to seperate the photocell and the light. Units can be bought where the photocell is mounted remotely from the light so reflection is not a problem. I've used two of these in our previous house and have one in the garage at this time.

We never turn a light on in the garage, if it is dark it comes on automatically when you enter the garage. Also turns off after a few minutes 'cause the teens never learn to turn them off.

Comments (14)

saltcedar
16 years ago
I believe the photo cell is picking up reflected light from
the bulbs and is tricked into turning off. The simplest test
for this is to simply reposition either (or both) the lights or
sensors till it corrects the problem.

HTH
Chris
mikie_gw
16 years ago
Or put a piece of black tape over the photocell window to see if it stays on continuously.
Then you'll know if something is reflecting the light back into that photocell and need to deal with that.
Related Professionals
Dedham Electricians · Bryan General Contractors · Jefferson Valley-Yorktown General Contractors · Ken Caryl General Contractors · Marysville General Contractors · Norristown General Contractors · Saginaw General Contractors · Saint Paul General Contractors · Williston General Contractors · Greenville Solar Energy Systems · Milpitas Solar Energy Systems · Centennial Home Automation & Home Media · Port Washington Home Automation & Home Media · Valle Vista Home Automation & Home Media · Federal Heights Home Automation & Home Media
aceh
Original Author
16 years ago
mikie,

I did the black electrical tape test and the light stays on as it should. I decided to purchase a motion sensor light which is what I wanted there in the first place.

Thanks for all the replys.
aceh
Original Author
16 years ago
As you guys mentioned, it was a simple matter of positioning the photocell in a certain way. The light is now working correctly.

Still going to replace it with a Motion Sensor Light.
heimert
16 years ago
If you replace it, get a motion sensor light that also has a photo cell. Otherwise, it will come on during the day too.
thomas_zmarcht_com
15 years ago
I have the same problem with my photo cell going on and off and it is no where near the lights that it is turning. It doesnt have a cover over it, would that make a different?
HU-170161636
3 years ago
If you Purchase a small Tork photo cell and installed it on a light and it goes on and off doing the night, then the light is Reflecting back to the photocell. I think I saw the problem by taking a piece of 4/0 Aluminum insulation and sliding it over the photocell. This keep The light from reflecting back to the photo cell
kudzu9
3 years ago
HU-

If this wasn't resolved over a decade ago, it's probably too late to help... ;-)
Stax
3 years ago
Yeah, the light is probably still in "Test."
HU-334648987
3 years ago
My photocell light comes on 4 or 5 hours after dark.... why so late?
HU-904759855
2 years ago
I have the same issue only I do not have a photo cell. I have lived here for 10 years and always just turned the outdoor lights on with the switch when I wanted the light on. There is no motion detector on the light. I turn the light on the other day and it only stays on for 10 seconds and then goes off. This has never happened before? The breaker does not go off so I do not think it would be a short?
Pat Kinnett
2 years ago
No motion detector or photo cell. Just on off light switch and 41 year old outdoor light fixture. Also roads have been repaved and heavy rollers used for past month. The house shakes when they go back and forth all day.
Chris Sadler
last year
This may be a little late but thought I would share...I have a set of Costco lights that are motion / light sensing. If I want them to function as designed, I just turn the switch on...if I want them to stay on, I need to turn them on, then off right after, then on again. The double input is what makes them stay on if desired.